Many times, a credit counselor can offer insights into your financial situation that you may not see on your own. They may see obvious ways you can cut your spending that you may have overlooked, for example. Their extensive knowledge of debt relief options also makes them ideal mentors for consumers who need professional help when it comes to assessing their debts and figuring out a plan that will work.
Afterward, a National Debt Relief specialist will contact you to discuss options and require that you provide proof of your debt balance, income, assets and basic necessity expenses. Any proof that you are struggling with financial hardship needs to be provided during the initial financial review to assess whether a debt settlement program is right for you.

The big downside is, if you need to leave your job for any reason, including if you're terminated, you must pay back the 401(k) loan quickly -- often within 60 days. If you don't, the unpaid loan is treated as a taxable distribution and you'd have to pay a 10% penalty. Not only can a 401(k) loan trap you in your job, but you could also hurt your retirement savings goals, because you'll have less money invested and growing.

“The first thing a person needs to do is take a close look at how they got into debt in the first place,” advised Carolyn McClanahan, M.D., CFP, who began her career as a physician and is now founder of a financial planning group called Life Planning Partners LLC, based in Jacksonville, Fla. “They should identify what triggered the situation or any bad habits that might have led to their debt, so that they don’t repeat those things going forward. Then, they need to make an actionable plan to figure out how to get out of debt.”
Yes and no. If you begin with the biggest debt, you won’t see traction for a long time. You might think you’re not making fast enough progress and then lose steam and quit before you even get close to finishing. It’s important to pay your debts in a way that keeps you motivated until you’ve wiped them out. Getting quick wins in the beginning will light a fire under you to pay off your remaining debts! Listen—knock out that smallest debt first, and you will find the motivation to go the distance.

Pardon me for being rude, but – are you insane, bad at math, or only joking? In what way do you believe “the tax code is better being self employed”? Unless you make over $127,200 the taxes are much HIGHER on self-employed individuals. I say this as a former employee, now an independent contractor and small business owner being taxed literally to death for the last 13+ years. Self employed people making under the Social Security cap pay an additional 7.65% tax. And yes, you can “give yourself a raise” but YOU are the one paying yourself, so…

Hm, feel free to email me if you like, but here are a few questions/suggestions. What have you been living on while waiting? And how much are you allowed to earn above disability? While it can definitely be very tough to work while disabled, sometimes it is possible, and there are flexible ways to earn. (For example, blogging, although that’s not a quick way to do so.) I suggest brainstorming ways to bring in more and also ways to cut expenses, such as maybe getting a roommate or two to reduce your basic costs for housing & day-to-day living.

For example, let’s say Credit Card A has a balance of $1,000 and a 12% interest rate, and Credit Card B has $1,500 at 6% interest. You put down $150 total every month, paying the minimum payment (3%) on one and whatever’s left on the other. You’re going to save more money by eliminating Credit Card A first ($147 in total interest) vs Card B ($188).

I have my creditors calling me 30 times a day threatening me. And every single one of them told me that it never heard from Clear one advantage when I emailed clear one Advantage for documentation of each time they contacted my creditors, that their website it says “In Negotiations” they have to have some kind of documentation of each time that they called or emailed or mailed something to my creditors and I wanted copies. I received an email back from them saying they didn’t have any documentation.
Being deep in debt is a very stressful situation – especially if what you owe is more than what you are earning every month. Any breadwinner in the family feels this burden day in and day out. The pressure to make sure that the family is provided for is frustrating. While paying for the usual bills, you need to make sure your debts are paid on time and correctly. Not to mention having extra money to put aside so you will have emergency money for unexpected situations.
I have been with National Debt Relief Service and thought I would save 40% to 50% of my debt. but, so far, with 23% customer fees among others, the 7 I have settled for $7333.64 out of $10,388 with their fees came to a net savings of less than $3055. The fees are very high and now that I am signed up, I cannot leave since they say the creditors would not honor the settlement amounts.
i now have my creditors ringing my phone Non-Stop everything’s gone into collections. I started with a 780 credit score I now have a 403 credit score. I was recently laid off from my job and in my line of business I have to have good credit so I can’t get another job. I manage Apartments andI was living onsite I have to move but I can’t get an apartment because my credit so low and when I call them to see what they are going to do I’m being talked to like I’m a piece of garbage.
Bill “No Pay” Fay has lived a meager financial existence his entire life. He started writing/bragging about it seven years ago, helping birth Debt.org into existence as the site’s original “Frugal Man.” Prior to that, he spent more than 30 years covering college and professional sports, which are the fantasy worlds of finance. His work has been published by the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Sports Illustrated and Sporting News, among others. His interest in sports has waned some, but his interest in never reaching for his wallet is as passionate as ever. Bill can be reached at bfay@debt.org.
It definitely sounds like you are in a tough spot. Can you make minimum payments until you get a place to rent and then try to resolve your debt? In addition, it would be a good idea for you to check out credit counseling as that may allow you to lower your payments, pay your debt in full, and avoid the kind of damage to your credit that settlement will do. (I am not opposed to settlement – it can be helpful in certain situations. But it definitely will affect your credit scores for some time.)
Put a spending freeze on your entertainment costs for a little while. This means no going out to the movies, concerts, mini-golf, bowling or whatever you do for fun that costs money. Instead, challenge yourself to find free ways to stay entertained. Take the kids to the park, go for a walk or a hike, enjoy a free concert, or look for a free event in your community.
High-interest credit card debt: Credit card debt is revolving debt; you charge as much as you want up to your credit limits and make monthly payments. The average interest rate on credit cards was close to 17% as of July 2018. Because credit card debt provides no benefit and rates are substantially higher than investments typically produce, aggressive early payoff is smart.
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There are four other popular options that you could discuss with your creditors. The first is to have your interest rates reduced. If you have high interest debts of, say, 15% or higher and could get them reduced to maybe 12%, you would end up with much lower monthly payments, which could make it possible for you to meet your obligations. A second option worth discussing would be a timeout period of two or three months during which you would no longer be required to make any payments. This would give you time to get your finances reorganized and to save money that might allow you to catch up on your payments. A third possibility would be to have some or all of your credit card debts converted into repayment programs. You would likely be required to give up your credit cards but in turn you would have fixed payments for a fixed amount of time after which you would be completely debt-free.
I know they stay on your report for 7 yrs……….but out of all of them while the others of course are on the report as not paid, they are not listed in a separate section that says “in collecions”……the ones that were on the report under the collecions status concern me because I ws sued on two of them……the small claims Calvary was very nice….after they obtained the judgment, I offered thme 300.00 and hey volantrly dismissed the judgment……….do you know how many points affect a credit score with a judgment? Portfollio will never get dime from me…..I offered them 1500 when a cousin offered me a loan and they scoffed………the only thing I have in the bank is my own money however I took out a collateral loan against its is secured……assuming if Portfolio tried to get it, then the bank has first dibs……….

It’s important to know that as part of this first call National Debt Relief will run a soft credit check to see who your creditors are, how much you owe and if your debts are eligible to be included in a debt settlement plan. We recommend taking quick stock of your budget and your monthly expenses. The debt specialist you speak to will ask about this so they can calculate how much you can afford to pay into a debt settlement plan.

Debt education: National Debt Relief has one of the best collections of debt relief information available to anyone on its site. National Debt Relief has common FAQs about debt, a detailed explanation of every debt relief option from consolidation to settlement to bankruptcy, and gives you tips to help you manage and deal with your debt all by yourself, for free. Most debt relief programs only offer this information if you sign up for their service. However, National Debt Relief makes it all available to anyone who is interested.
Those who are overwhelmed by debt often turn to credit counseling agencies to find help. They offer a variety of services, such as workshops, one-on-one coaching and debt management plans, all with a common objective. "The No. 1 goal is to leave people in a better financial situation," says Julie Kalkowski, executive director of the Financial Hope Collaborative at Creighton University. The Financial Hope Collaborative is a financial education and counseling program for low- to moderate-income families living in Omaha, Nebraska.
Unlike traditional debt consolidation loans, a nonprofit debt management program can help you lower your interest rates and consolidate debt with bad credit. That is because a debt management program isn’t extending new credit or a loan to you. They are simply helping you bundle your payments and make them on-time, and helping you lower your interest rates, despite a poor credit history. Why? Creditors may see you as a bankruptcy risk. By giving helping make your payment more affordable with lower rates, and supporting nonprofit debt consolidation programs, the creditors are attempting to prevent you from defaulting on your debt.

Credit limitation: Like a balance transfer, a personal debt consolidation loan is usually only a viable solution for consumers who have a good credit score. The higher you score, the lower the interest rate you can qualify for on the loan. APR of 5% is ideal, but anything below 10% may be enough to provide the relief you need. If you can’t qualify for a rate below 10%, look for other options.

Also, there are many not for profit credit counseling organizations who offer services at local offices, online, and on the phone. Many universities, military bases, credit unions, housing authorities, and branches of the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service operate nonprofit credit counseling programs. Local financial institutions and consumer protection agencies may also be good sources of information and referrals.
Everyone I've talked to has been professional and courteous. They have truly helped to alleviate some of the stress of feeling like you are drowning with nowhere to turn. There didn't seem to be any daylight at the end of the debt tunnel until I spoke with the folks at National Debt Relief. Everyone is very helpful and the explanations of the process have been very thorough. I feel confident that with their assistance this program can work and I can get out of debt within a reasonable amount of time and save money in the process.
Debt consolidation: This is a safer option to lower your debt costs. While debt settlement forces your lenders to settle your debts for a lower cost, debt consolidation does just what it says: it consolidates your debts into one loan with a lower interest rate. That helps you stop paying high interest. While debt consolidation might not save you as much money, it can keep your credit score intact and is less risky than debt settlement or bankruptcy.
A process of negotiation will occur between your debt consolidation agency and your lenders. Many reputable debt agencies will have considerable negotiating power with your lenders and will be able to help you in both the short and long term. There is no guarantee, however, that the negotiation will be successful. Lenders do not have to accept reduced repayments or altered terms.
This year, my husband and I made a few changes… we put ourselves on a strict budget and gave ourselves a cash allowance so we wouldn’t even be tempted to use the debit cards “just to grab lunch,” squirreled our credit cards away so we wouldn’t use them, and went through TONS of stuff that we weren’t using anymore and are planning a neighborhood yard sale for the spring.
Shady. I have to work with these ” yahoos” daily as I am a debt collector. They will not accept the guidelines set by the creditors to provide settlement options to their clients. They INSIST that I take very low and unreasonable offers to creditors and even if I manage to get them approved then say THEY have to get them approved before paying out. I feel if you are making an offer to settle, it is only fair that you can fund the settlement instead of jerking around. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and is unethical. You can’t make offers to creditors that you can’t fund!
This should really only be explored a last resort for debt relief before you file for bankruptcy. If you’ve tried everything else and haven’t had any success, then you can consider a debt settlement plan where you settle your debts for less than the full amount owed. This can cause significant damage to your credit score and results may vary, but it may be your best option if your situation is truly critical.
If you are looking for an alternative to a debt consolidation loan, then Tally may be an option for you (a credit score of 660 will be needed to qualify). Tally helps save consumers money and stress by managing their credit cards and paying down balances faster with a line of credit. Simply link up all of your credit cards in either the iOS or Android app and Tally will do the hard work for you.

i now have my creditors ringing my phone Non-Stop everything’s gone into collections. I started with a 780 credit score I now have a 403 credit score. I was recently laid off from my job and in my line of business I have to have good credit so I can’t get another job. I manage Apartments andI was living onsite I have to move but I can’t get an apartment because my credit so low and when I call them to see what they are going to do I’m being talked to like I’m a piece of garbage.

Experian, one of the three major credit bureau companies in the U.S., said the impact on your score should be minimal if you and the agency making payments for you, are on-time every month. If lenders look at your full credit report while you are in a DMP, they will see that you are repaying the debt at a reduced rate and it may affect their final decision on whether to grant you a loan.